We started the swim in about 2 feet of water and people were really spread out across the beach. I started right on the buoy line and went out pretty aggressively. Quickly I was on the feet of faster swimmers and had very little contact. I was able to take a direct route to the first buoy and was out very well.

I was definitely more aggressive with my swim pacing in this race and it cost me more than it was worth. I was aggressive with my 2 beat kick and was swimming pretty hard. The second and third leg of the triangle were the longest portions. The second leg was tough to site the final turn buoy. I was able to follow swimmers and never got off course. The water temp was good and I was comfortable in my sleeveless at this temp.

The final leg to the beach I was on my own and still swimming fairly hard. I was able to catch some feet for the last 300 meters into shore so I did not have to site as often. Once I made it to the beach I was really gasping for air. Never had this happen to me before. I knew I swam hard but not quite that hard. I was kinda struggling into T1. This put some doubt into my head as to how this race was going to play out.

Swim at a more comfortable effort like I did at Grand Rapids half.

This was probably the worst transition I have ever had. After grabbing my bike my sunglasses popped out of my shirt so went back and grabbed those. As I was running with my bike my water bottle popped out of my cage between the bars so went back and got that. As I was picking up the water bottle my sunglasses fell out again. What a cluster fock!

Get a bottle that fits snug in my cage and find a better spot for my sunglasses. The glasses always fog up in transition so I do not put them on until later.

I had never rode or driven the bike course so really did not know what to expect. The elevation data that they provided on the course map was not overly concerning so thought I would be fine. The area where I train is very flat with some gentle rollers. I have never been in my small front chainring more in the 2 years that I have owned this bike then I was on this course. There were some tough climbs.

Once on the bike I made certain to get my heart rate down. I was shocked how jacked my heart rate was from that swim. I took the first 2 miles very easy before settling in. Cannonsburg Road was excellent pavement and a nice wide shoulder with some longer gradual rollers. I was starting to feel a little bit better but my stomach was a little shaky.

Lincoln Lake road had some very tough climbs where I was in my weenie ring on the very last cog. It was hard not to sky the heart rate on some of these climbs. I was not able to keep my heart rate low enough with all the climbing and burned my matches in the middle portion of this ride. I had the same nutrition plan as Grand Rapids taking Infinit and endurolytes but my stomach was not happy. I think it had more to do with the hot weather and effort level than the nutrition.

Once we made the turnaround at the half way point is when I realized how sticky, humid and hot it was getting. I told myself that I needed to ride way more conservatively on the second half of the ride or it is going to be a painful run. I wish I would have listened! As much as I tried to keep it easy the hills just keep coming at you. There was a roadway on the course with a mile of fresh chip seal and that sucked even worse on the way back.

Once back on to Cannonsburg I really dialed it down as much as I could to setup some sort of a run. I was ready to get off the bike. My stomach still felt like crap and it was getting hotter. I rolled into transition knowing it was going to be a brutal run.

Dial the intensity back and get acquainted with the race terrain prior!

This transition went better but I was not looking forward to running!

Nothing.

I came out of transition and immediately saw the family. Glad they were there. I made the left turn on to Plainfield and knew it was going to be a brutal run. I felt horrible. It was hot. I ran the first mile and then was already walking. I thought if I could just walk for a bit and get the heart rate down that I would get it together and be able to run something decent. Nope! The only thing really holding me together was that I wanted to bring Keelyn across that finish line so no way was I going to quit right here. Not every race can be great so I just needed to get through it.

I took sponges and tucked then into my shirt and water over the head at every aid station. I was really only able to run a 1/2 mile at a time for the first 6 miles or so. Surprisingly, nobody had passed me yet and I had passed a couple people. When I was running I was at 7:30 pace. The course had very little shade and it was lonely out there as well.

I made it to Three Mile road and once there I was able to start running in longer stretches. Once I made the turnaround at Three Mile I was able to run fairly well and thought I might be able to salvage something. But, once I got back out to Grand River everything went south again and just did not have any energy. I got passed by a group of 3 people in the last 2 miles. I passed another guy in my AG with a mile to go and ran the last mile to the finish.

It was fun to run down Plainfield there towards the finish. I made the turn into the finish and saw my family, picked up Keelyn and carried her across the finish line with me.

Dial down the Swim & Bike Pacing!

I was gassed at the finish. I took in alot of fluids and doused myself with water. It was uncomfortably hot just standing around.


Humbling race. I wanted to race a little harder and not leave anything out there at this event but comletely failed. The weather, course, and intensity I chose to race at destroyed me on this run.

I realize I cannot race this distance the way I want to on 8-10 hours/wk of training. Need to find a way to get some long rides in or stick to Olympic distance short term.


Great first year race that will only get better. I will be better prepared next year!